Lung washing could boost transplants

Posted 30/05/2012

“Washing” lungs before they are transplanted could increase numbers of the organs suitable for donation, according to doctors in Newcastle. At the present time, only one in five donated lungs are good enough to be transplanted safely. As a result, around a quarter of people waiting for an organ transplant die in the first year on a transplant list.

The lungs are delicate organs and the events which lead to a donor’s death can also damage the lungs. It is why so few can be transplanted. A trial, being led by Newcastle University, is trying to improve the quality of the lungs by pumping nutrients and oxygen through them. The technique called “ex-vivo lung perfusion” can clear a build-up of water on the lungs or can treat them with medication to clear infection.

It is currently unknown how many will be usable through this technique, but it is thought that it could “dramatically” increase the number of lungs used. The technique allows doctors to monitor lungs to see if their function improves and become suitable for transplant. Eight patients have already received lungs that have been prepared through this technique. The trial is being widened to NHS transplant centres in London, Cambridge, Birmingham, Manchester and Newcastle.

Sophie Bales, a medical injury solicitor at Ashtons Legal, comments: “This is potentially excellent news for those who will need lung transplants in the future. Currently around a quarter of potential recipients die whilst waiting for suitable lungs and therefore anything to increase usable lungs is potentially life saving. Of course, this is a new technique and it will be very important for doctors to check that there are no complications, such as more infections, as a result of the procedure. If the technique proves successful, it could have a great impact on transplant surgery as a whole, as it is likely that it will eventually be used for many organs. This could substantially help to ease the severe shortage of organs available for transplant and potentially save many more lives.”